Ghost In The Machine
by Maladicta
Summary: Jack, Riddick and Imam are picked up by deep space salavagers. But something's not quite right. Is there a ghost aboard the ship? Or is it something else? Jack sets out to solve the mystery, but can she handle the truth? WARNING: Rape scene inside.
1. Hail Mary, Mother Of God

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's note: thought I'd give this one a bit of a revamp, which is almost like updating (there is a chapter four on the way). Its either that or study for my 50 exam tomorrow…

* * *

Jackie looked nervously down at her shoes; she couldn't help noticing how shabby they were, scuffed and dirty. Mummy would have scolded her, Mummy, Daddy. Tears rose unbidden to fill her eyes. She could hear footsteps approaching, the wooden floors, rare these days, echoed terribly, she'd noticed that when the lady had brought her in and bade her "Sit and Wait!". The footsteps were coming closer and Jackie couldn't stop the tears that were starting to choke her from spilling over. Mummy. Daddy. She curled into a ball and started to quietly sob…

A slight whistling was the only warning of the blow that was aimed at her, Jackie cried out in shock and pain; four more blows followed the first, then a voice.

" There will be no crying in this institution!" It spat.

Jackie raised herself up on trembling arms; she looked up into a pinched, white face, and knew in her heart that these would not be the last blows she would receive at St Maria's Institution for Unclaimed Minors.

* * *

Shivering in terror Jackie clutched the starchy white blankets to her chin, she could hear the slow ponderous footsteps she had learned to dread coming up the stairs.

_Please not tonight, not us, not tonight, go away. Keep going, pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease…_

Jackie's silent litany was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

* * *

At the start of her third year at The Institution Jack had found out that there was more to fear from Father Roberts then his whisley cane. She had finally found out why the older girls did not laugh, or talk, or play. She found out why the pretty ones hid during the night, in the cupboards, the bathrooms, sometimes even in the roof, anywhere they could find. And she found out what Sophia's warning had meant.

"Never be alone, Jackie. Find friends, but never trust 'em." She had said, "Never tell a soul, Jackie, what happens in the night. And when He comes for you, don't dare scream."

Sophia was gone now; she had died during the last bout of fever to sweep through the orphanage. Between moaning and screaming she had told Jackie this, and now she finally understood. The footsteps traveled past her bed and Jackie didn't dare let out the sigh of relief that was in her lungs. He could still come back, when he'd finished. The footsteps had stopped. Jackie could hear sobbing start at the end of the dormitory, a soft voice was talking. The creak of a mattress sounded like a gunshot in the still air of the dorm. The sobbing was louder now. Jackie rolled over and tried to block out the sounds she knew were coming.

* * *

Jackie stared into the darkness, her terror had turned into panic, panic into blind fear, and blind fear into shock.

_God nooooooooooo… _Her mind wailed.

…………………….

He was coming closer now; she could hear his footsteps, hear the door opening. Words streamed through her mind, a prayer, as if the Lady would care. God never showed his face in this Hell.

_O Mary, my Mother and my Lady, I offer You my soul, my body, my life and my death and all that will follow it. I place everything in Your hands…_

Jackie tried to stifle the scream that was building in her chest; her hands clutched the thin mattress that was her only protection against the sharp, rusted springs of the cot. They were still coming.

_O my Mother, cover my soul with Your virginal mantle and grant me the grace of purity of heart, soul, and body…_

The footsteps had stopped.

_Defend me with Your power against all enemies, and especially against those who hide their malice behind the masks of virtue…_

The sheet was pulled out of her numb fingers and she felt the cool air of the dorm brush against her toes.

_Fortify my soul, let pain not break it. Mother of grace, teach me to live by God's power._

"Amen." The confirmation slipped almost unheard from her frozen lips.

She could feel long fingers pulling up her nightgown. Up. Past her ankles, goose flesh swept her body. Up. Past her knees. She started to sweat, clamminess had broken out on her skin. Up. Past her hips, terror was preventing her from crying out. Up. Over her budding breasts, nipples ridged with fear. Up

_O Mary, a terrible sword has pierced Your holy soul. Except for god, no one knows of Your suffering. Your soul does not break; it is brave, because it is with Jesus…_

Her cotton knickers were pulled down around her ankles and a hand was placed across her mouth…

_Sweetest Mother, continue to teach me about the interior life…_

A hand was stroking her body, harder and harder, words, to low to hear, were whispered in her ear. Pinching, groping fingers played over her breasts and moved down her abdomen…

_May the sword of suffering never break me…_

Jackie felt her legs pushed up, and then open; a harsh groaning sound was coming from above her…

_O pure virgin, pour courage into my heart and guard it…_

Her legs were wretched wider, the springs of the bed moaned as another body crawled onto it. Jackie gripped the rusted frame of her bed; in her terror she didn't notice the pain in her palms, or the blood dripping onto the floor.

_Amen…_

Jackie broke out of her paralis, and forgetting all else, she screamed…

* * *

If anyone is still with this story, thank you. if you would like to let me know your opinion on the changes, please review. 


	2. A Mean Right Hook

"Arggggg."  
  
Riddick turned to Jack in alarm; she was staring out into space, clutching the armrests of the co-pilots chair in a death grip. A thin rim of white outlined her lips. Riddick placed a hand on her knee in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.  
  
It wasn't.  
  
With a scream of pure terror Jack turned and walloped him across the jaw. Finding nowhere in which to escape she scooted back into the arm of the chair, drawing her knees up to her chin. The fog of the nightmare had now completely disbursed and she shot Riddick a look of fright.  
  
Trust and friendship only went so far.  
  
Especially with men.  
  
A trickle of blood was running from the split in his lip, Jack watched, petrified, as he whipped it away. Riddick looked down at his fingers. Jack closed her eyes and steeled herself for the blow she knew was coming.  
  
...........  
  
Riddick watched in shock as Jack's jaw steeled and the muscles in her face tightened.  
  
*She thinks I'm going to hit her back* he thought numbly  
  
Riddick had hit a lot of people in his life, men, a few women merc's, but never children. Riddick put on a lopsided grin to hide the disgust he was feeling.  
  
"Well I guess I deserved that."  
  
He said with a chuckle, he watched as Jack slowly opened her eyes. The look she gave him was wary and suspicious.  
  
"Got quite an arm on ya Kid." He said "But I think we need to work on your aim."  
  
With that said the wariness left her face and she gave him a trembly smile.  
  
"Ahh, sorry about the--- Umm--- Sorry." Her attempt at a smile faded "Bad dream, ya know?" Riddick did want to know. He wanted to know what kind of 'bad dream' made a fourteen-year-old girl wake up screaming, and then attack the first person she saw.  
  
Or maybe he'd rather not.  
  
...............  
  
Jack was mentally kicking herself. How could she have been so stupid? She had just hit Richard B. Riddick, wanted in over fifteen galaxies for crimes ranging from theft, to mass homicide. Well, at least he hadn't hit her back. Jack glanced quickly down at Riddick's large, powerful hands. The best she could have hoped for was a fractured jaw, the worst? Well, they always said it was cheaper to bury in space. She shot Riddick another trebly smile and went to join Imam.  
  
............  
  
It had taken them four weeks but they were finally back in the shipping lanes. With only half power, little water, and even littler food, and the gas purifier playing up, Riddick called a meeting.  
  
"I'd say the best course of action would be to send out a distress call and hope like hell that someone picks it up."  
  
Imam, unruffled as ever, looked up at him.  
  
"Whatever you think is right Mr. Riddick, you have far more experience in these matters then myself or the child."  
  
Jack looked mutinous about being called a child but she let the matter drop. Now was not the time.  
  
"We are, after all, in your hands."  
  
*And that sends us back to our first problem, how to look after a priest and a kid when I can't even look after myself.*  
  
Riddick was surprised to find himself thinking in terms of how he was gunna keep them alive, not in how he was going to kill them. It just showed how much he'd changed. He'd grown to respect the holy man, who told it like it was and almost never lost his cool. It was discontenting, knowing someone had so much faith in you. And Jack, well, after the first nightmare she had closed herself off from their little group. The nightmares were still coming, because Riddick had heard her sobbing at night when she thought everyone was asleep.  
  
Back on that planet, in the middle of a Dante creation, she had given Riddick, a murderer, her most precious possession.  
  
Her trust.  
  
So Riddick was starting to put some things together, from sobbed words to the thin veil of fear that settled behind her eyes whenever he made a sudden movement when she was near.  
  
He didn't like the answers he was coming up with. 


	3. Out Of The Frying Pan

At first Tommy couldn't believe what he was seeing, they were travlin' the back streets of know space and he was picking up a distress signal that thirty years ago was the top of its line in evacuation ships.  
  
"Hey Gunner, come take a look at this."  
  
A tall black man stalked over to Tommy's chair.  
  
"Ha, pity they're still alive, could have got Salvage Rights."  
  
Salvage Rights in deep space consisted of something along the lines of '--- We have the space junk, i'faith, and we will kill any whoreson who tries to take it away from us---'  
  
"I say we ignore it, no need to tell the Capt'n."  
  
"Hell no, there could be a woman on board. How long is it since you had a woman?"  
  
Wheedled Tommy.  
  
"Too fuck'n long, man."  
  
Gunner walked off to inform the captain. Tommy continued to stare at the screen; he licked his lips and smiled.  
  
"Fresh meat, yummy, yummy."  
  
...........  
  
"Evac ship 4512_853_688754_557237 we have received your distress signal and are awaiting conformation of your position. Over."  
  
The gravely voice startled them all, Jack gave a whoop as Riddick reached down to reply  
  
"Looks like your prayers worked Holy Man."  
  
Said Jack to Imam. She had taken to Riddick's nickname for him.  
  
"I never doubted that they would not."  
  
Imam answered calmly. Jack turned to look out the space screen of their little skiff; she wanted to be the first to spot their rescue vessel.  
  
...........  
  
"What a hunk of shit!"  
  
Jack exclaimed as they docked, their rescue vessel didn't even look like a vessel. It looked like a doughnut, an old doughnut.  
  
"It's a research station."  
  
Said Riddick, he raked the stations exterior with his eyes, noting the places scored and pocked by asteroids, the missing or damaged equipment and the D.I.Y patches, "Or was."  
  
............  
  
That conversation had taken place a day ago, and Jack's first impression of the station hadn't changed.  
  
"Hey, Kid."  
  
Jack looked up at the sharpness of Riddick's tone  
  
"I thought I told you not to go anywhere by yourself."  
  
Jack couldn't tell, because of the goggles, but she though Riddick might be glaring at her.  
  
"But---"  
  
"No buts. None of these guys have seen a girl in a long time, the fact that you're a child 's gunna mean jack shit to them. Got me."  
  
The way he said those last words riled Jack.  
  
"Hey, I can take care of myself."  
  
"Not against more then one I'd wager."  
  
Jack gave a bitter laugh.  
  
"Don't worry Riddick, you won't have to come rescue me."  
  
Riddick grabbed her arm  
  
"It's not me rescuing you that worries me,"  
  
He crouched down and pushed his goggles up, meeting her eyes he said, "I don't want you to have to go through that."  
  
Jack stared at Riddick as if he'd grown another head, and for a second Riddick though he'd said the wrong thing, again. Suddenly a tear slipped down Jack's cheek and, without warning she leaned forward and hugged him. At first Riddick was to shocked to move, then slowly he let himself respond. Jack could feel Riddick stiffen as she put her arms around his neck; she let out a breath of relief when he hugged her back. It wasn't a particularly good hug; Riddick held her as if her was afraid of breaking her, Jack put that down to lack of practice. With a smile she pulled back and after a moments thought lent in and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She said, then she went and sat with Imam at one of the other mess benches.  
  
.............  
  
Riddick slowly raised his fingers to the spot where Jack had kissed him, no one had ever done that before, given him an innocent kiss. Something in Richard B. Riddick cracked at that moment, it was only a small crack, but it was a crack nonetheless.  
  
Imam watched the exchange silently, and smiled.  
  
...........  
  
"Where's the next port of call?" Asked Riddick. Captain Tralid turned his one good eye on Riddick and studied him, Riddick, in turn, studied him. His wrinkled and weather skin suggested he had been dirt side for some part of his life; he was of medium height and build. But the really distinguishing feature about Ford Tralid was the scar that ran from his left temple, through his eye, and ended at the corner of his mouth. Knife wound.  
  
"Couldn't rightly say, Trinities, if nothing delays us."  
  
Riddick mentally mapped that rout. About six weeks Earth time. 


End file.
